Safety and efficacy of laparoscopic colectomy in low volume centre following effective laparoscopic training. Retrospective cohort study.

UNLABELLED

The use of minimally invasive surgery in colon cancers is becoming widespread and developing day by day Laparoscopic right hemicolectomy (LRHC) with complete mesocolic excision is gradually becoming the standard oncological surgical principle for right hemicolectomy. The aim of our study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic right hemicolectomy in a small-volume center.

METHODS

Clinical outcomes were analyzed in a study comparing laparoscopic right hemicolectomy with conventional right hemicolectomy. By standardizing laparoscopic right hemicolectomy in our center, data on patient characteristics, surgical details, tumor, lymph node, and metastasis stage (TNM), postoperative recovery, and survival were retrieved and analyzed from retrospective databases.

RESULTS

Patients underwent open (n. 63) and laparoscopic (n. 51) right hemicolectomies in our units. In the laparoscopic group, the rate of conversion to open was 5.8%, and there was no mortality for 30 days. In the open group, the first-month mortality was 6.3%, and the rate of complications was 15.9%. The mean age of the patients in the laparoscopic group (65.7±13.46) was statistically significantly higher than that of the open group 60.49±12.67) (p=0.042). Operation time was 147.53±57 minutes in the laparoscopic group and 132.84±34 minutes in the open batch, and there was no statistically significant difference between them. Significant correlations were found between stage and cancer subgroup information (p=0.001). Adenocarcinoma (42%) and mucinous (43.8%) type cancers were found more frequently in patients with stage III, while signet ring cancers were more common (100%) in stage IV patients.

CONCLUSIONS

LRHC and laparoscopic conventional right hemicolectomy offered similar oncologic outcomes for right colon cancers in small volume centers. LRHC can be performed safely, and sufficient laparoscopic experience is essential for it to be considered the gold standard procedure. With an improved standard technique and systematic learning method, patient safety and surgical results can be achieved as successfully as in the open surgical approach.

KEY WORDS

Colorectal cancer, Intracorporeal anastomosis, Right laparoscopic hemicolectomy, Side-to-side anastomosis.